Reviews - Niespokojni ludzie

34.8k reviews for:

Niespokojni ludzie

Fredrik Backman

4.25 AVERAGE

trinity_tompkins's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I struggled to get into/invested in this book but I genuinely think it was me and my state of mind, not the novel. The ending was truly beautiful though! Backman never disappoints!

katsba's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A lovely telling of the people involved in a hostage situation. Told with humour and insight. Delightful characters that defy expectations and stereotypes. Be good to each other. And don’t rob cashless banks.

tmolitor24's review against another edition

1.5

slow-paced

Loveable characters: No

knp4597's review against another edition

2.0

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: N/A

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I loved A Man Called Ove and the Beartown trilogy, but… this one just wasn’t my jam. The story felt scattered and almost schizophrenic in its structure—tough to follow, constantly darting in different directions without giving me anything solid to hold on to.

Not one character resonated with me. I couldn’t connect with or root for a single one of them. The narrator repeatedly reminds us that this “is a story about idiots,” and while I agree on some level, I don’t understand why Backman chose to hammer that idea so hard. Was it supposed to be funny? Clever? Endearing? To me, it was just ANNOYING. Maybe that’s the point—maybe I, like Zara (and like Ove?), think most people are idiots. But instead of drawing me in, it only pushed me further out.

The whole thing dragged on too long, meandering and rambling as it tried a little too hard to tie up every loose end. Where Ove and Beartown made me feel deeply for their characters, Anxious People only made me frustrated. Not cute. Not funny. Not heartwarming. And that’s generous, only because I know what Backman is capable of.